Padding for sleeve pressing machines



May 1, 1956 R. G. MCLAGAN 2,743,853

PADDING FOR SLEEVE PRESSING MACHINES Filed Nov. 6, 1952 INVENTOR.Russell G filc'lczgon ATTORA/[XS' United States Patent PADDING FORSLEEVE PRESSING MACHINES Russell G. McLagan, Milford, Ohio, assignor toThe American Laundry Machinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application November 6, 1952, Serial No. 319,106

3 Claims. (Cl. 223-57) This invention relates to improvements in paddingfor the sleeve-supporting bucks of sleeve pressing machines.

The invention has for its primary objects the provision of sleeve buckpadding which includes an edge element that materially improves thequality of the sleeve pressing operation, and which padding element ischaracterized by its structural simplicity, its inexpensive nature, andthe ease and durability of its association or assembly with the otherparts of the padding.

Further objects of the present invention, and certain of its practicaladvantages, will be referred to in or will be evident from the followingdescription of one embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a side elevational view ofportions of a sleeve pressing machine in which the sleeve-supportingbucks thereof (only one of which is shown) are provided with paddinghaving the present improved edge elements;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, showing the sleeve-supporting buck ofFig. 1 between its two cooperating pressing members, the view being onthe line 22 of Fig. 1 and said pressing members being in their open orseparated positions;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, similar to Fig. 2 but onan enlarged scale, showing the two pressing members of Fig. 2 in theirclosed or pressing positions, the sleeve-supporting buck being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a detail cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of thesleeve-supporting buck of Figs. 1 and 2, the view being on the line 4-4of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a like cross-sectional view, on a still larger scale, showingthe improved edge element of the present padding and a portion of thepadding part to which said edge element is secured, the edge elementbeing in its partially cured condition;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 and showing the padding edge elementin its final or completely cured condition; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of one of the two sleeve-supportingbucks, showing the edge element thereof forwardly extended at its upperportion so as to underlie the placket of the sleeve which is supportedon said buck.

Before the here illustrated padding, with its improved edge element, isspecifically described, it is to be understood that the presentinvention is not limited to what is here illustrated and/or described,as padding embodying the present invention may take other forms and asthe edge element of such padding may be secured to or assembled withother parts of the padding by different means or in difierent ways. italso is to be understood that the terminology or phraseology herein usedis for purposes of description and not of limitation, as the scope ofthe present invention is denoted by the appended claims.

Although padding embodying the present invention may be used with thesleeve-supporting bucks of various types of sleeve pressing machines,there is here illustrated,

ice

for the disclosure of one embodiment of the present invention, portionsof a sleeve pressing machine of the structural character of the machinedescribed and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 184,035filed September 9, 1950, now Patent No. 2,629,522, dated February 24,1953, to which reference may be had, if desired.

So far as its description is here necessary or desirable, said sleevepressing machine includes two laterally spaced and generally uprightsleeve-supporting bucks movable in unison by suitable means, under thecontrol of the machine operator, into and out of cooperating pressingengagement with correspondingly spaced pairs of pressing members.Inasmuch as the two sleeve-supporting bucks are of duplicate form, andinasmuch as the two pairs of cooperable pressing members also are ofduplicate form, only one such sleeve-supporting buck 10, and only thetwo pressing members 11 and 12 for cooperation therewith, are here shownand described.

As best shown in Fig. 2; the two pressing members 11 and 12 are mountedupon the front end portions of a pair of levers 13 pivotallyinterconnected at 14 intermediate their ends and having their rear endsconnected by a coiled spring 15, the purpose of which is to normallyhold the two pressing members in an open or laterally spacedrelationship, as in Fig. 2, for the reception therebetween of thesleeve-supporting buck 10. To move said pressing members to their closedor pressing positions as in Fig. 3, the sleeve pressing machine includesa piston 16 having a wedge-shaped front end part 17 for cooperativeengagement with a pair of rollers 18 on the rear ends of the levers 13.As will be readily understood, upon forward movement of the piston 16(movement to the right in Fig. 2), the pressing members 11 and 12 willbe forced toward one another into their closed or pressing positions,and upon rearward movement of said piston, the two pressing members willbe automatically swung by the spring 15 to their normal, open orlaterally spaced positions.

As best shown in Fig. 4, the sleeve-supporting buck 10 includes a hollowmetal body which consists of a pair of side walls 29 and 21 of outwardlybowed or convex form in cross section. At their rear longitudinal edges(their left hand edges in the accompanying drawings), the two side walls20 and 21 are integrally or otherwise suitably joined or united in aV-forming manner, but at their front longitudinal edges, the two sidewalls are spaced apart to provide a vertically disposed slot for thereception of a correspondingly disposed wing member 22. By means nothere necessary to be described, said wing member may be forwardlyprojected varying distances through said slot for sleeve-expandingpurposes, and releasably held, of course, in any desired projectedposition.

Like the sleeve buck padding of my co-pending application Serial No.194,964, filed November 10, 1950, now Patent N0. 2,679,339, dated May25, 1954 and to which reference may be had, if desired, the presentpadding for the sleeve-supporting buck 10 includes a relatively thickresilient inner layer 24 of commercially available matted material, ofthe general nature of steel Wool, and an outer layer 25 of flannel orother relatively soft material. The two layers have, of course, a widthsufficient to enable them to completely embrace the U-shaped metal bodyof the buck and a length sufficient to enable them to extend from theupper end of such metal body to the lower end thereof.

To enable the sleeve to be more smoothly pressed adjacent the body slotthrough which the wing member 22 projects, the side walls 26 and 21 ofsuch body have secured thereto a pair of resilient metal strips 27, asin the aforesaid application Serial No. 194,964. As shown 3 4, the-rearloh'gituiiinal'edge portions of said strips #7 fle'welded or otherwisesuitably secured to the outer surfaces of the body side walls 20 and 21substantially midway of the front and rear edges of such walls, and

the heat wugimaimi er 'e 'pbr'titjils or said "strips are net onlyuntimely s aced from the front longitudinal edge portions if said bodyside waits also, project my flte'rebeyond. V

Ks r shown 'in Fig.4, the longit't'tdinal front edge patterns of the twopadding ra ers '24 and '25 lie alongsidethe outer surfaces of theresilient metal 2 7 mu tei'diiudt'e "tit or "adjacent the from'l'ongitudinal edges er su'h ,As is usual, a cover stem is, of canvas 6rbfl'ier smooth surfaced fabric material, is provided for me underlyinglayers of padding, and to summatidilly min rain said cov r cloth in ataut Wrasse- Heedofldifibh, the side edge portions of such cover clothfie "to "a an "of vertically disposed members 29 arranged within the *Us haped metal body of the buck 8118- which, as fully disclosed in myaforesaid applicafih No. 194,964, the sprin urged in a rearward Althoughthe pressing members 11 and 12 are shaped th dlodely embrace the buck 10for sleeve-pressing purp'omfit has been "difficult to obtain awell-pressed finish Of'th'e ileeve a't the rear edge portion thereofbecause or the residency of the padding to round out at the rear edgethe metal body of the buck, "even though such iso'f V-shape in crosssection a'nd the adjacent of the pressing members -'meet in a V-fo1iningmutter. I

Tn thy-aforesaid application Serial No. 194,964, 'a V- metttl strip isinterposed between those portions or padding layers which extend alon'gthe rear Edie o! me metal body of 'the buck. Although the use of ametal'stri'p improves the finish of the sleeve at me "edge portionthereof, said metal strip cannot be We?! u on to consistently provide"agoo'd pressing w th the rear of the buck, primarily because of itslick-f resiliency and the necessary rec'ox er'y characterfdfic's.Moreover, the support and the maintenance of m a inetal strip inlongitudinal alignment with the rear edge of the metal body of the buckpre's'erit ra'th'e'r troumeiosis-m,

In order 't'o p'rovide a dependable pressing contact be I rear edgeportions of the buck 10 and the adportions of the cooperating pressingmembers 11 aid 12, and thereby to produce a'w'ell ressed fi'nish of meWe at the rear edge portion thereof, the present fiddling includes animproved edge element 30.

Qh'own in Figs. 4, and 6, such edge e'lement comfiisafi verticallydisposed V-shaped strip of resili'entinatbfialfsuchias a B'una typesynthetic rubber, which is seeured to the"outersurface of the innerpadding layer 24 h loiigitudiaal alighmerit with the rear edged themetal myf the buck. Although this edge element maybe made tnflat-tormand later caused "to assume a V-shape in section by its assembly orassociation with the metal -body of the buck, the element is preferablyextmdeder otherwise initially formed as a V-shaped strip.

After being initially formed or subsequently cut to fie proper length,namely, that 'of the rear edge of the will M'dyo'f the buck, the "edgeelement 30 is applied to that portion of the inner padding layer -24which mlies the rearfiedge -of said buck body. The outer puddtag layer25'andthe covereloth 28 are then applied, was the side'e'dge portions ofthe cover cloth being semed 40 1111: take-up strips 29 for the retention'of. the

and the cover cloth in assembly with the metal body of the buck.

ltekrably, the edge-element 30 is applied to the padfin; layer -24 whilethe material 'of such element is in 'a cured 'condition, 'with the finalcuring of such taking place when the buck is in pressing 7 ii with itscooperating pressin'g rnernbers 1 1 and 12. Inasmuch as said pressingmembers are heated for sleeve pressing purposes, the heat 'of such'rnembers can be utilized for the final curing of the material of saidedge element, (a period of twenty minutes being usually sufficient forthe purpose), and by having the final curing such material take placewhen the pressing members 11. and 12 are in pressing engagement with thebuck 10, said material can be molded, by the heat and thepres sure ofthe pressing members "11 and 12, into a'neXtern'al shape or contourwhich directly conforms to the pressing surfaces of the twopressin'gme'mbers when suchme'mbers are in pressing position. As'aresiilt, aiproper pressing contact for the rear edge portion of asleeve is not only provided at the rear or the buck but also, such-pressing contact remains effective for the production of a well pressedfinish for a very long time, due to the elasticity and recoverycharacteristics of tie material of which the edge element 31) is made. I7

During the finai curing of the 'rnlaterial "of said edge element, someof such material flows "into and becomes firmly bonded with the metalmesh ofthe underlyingpadding layer 24, as shown in Fig. 6. The edgeelement is thus securely anchored to such padding laye'r, iorpr'opcr anddurable disposition along the "V-sha'ped longitudinal rear edge of thebuck body, as will be readily understood.

To enable a sleeve to bepresse'd up to 'the'should'er seam thereof,regardless of the length of the sleeve, oprator cont'rolled means isprovided'in'the present machine (the machine of my aforesaid applicationSerial No. 184,035) to raise or lower the buck Was it is moved intopressing engagement with its cooperating pressing members. Associatedwithsuch means'is a'measurin'g pointer 32, Fig. 1, which is repeatedlytapped against the sleeve on the buck, as more 'fully 'clisclosed in myaforesaid application Serial No. 184,035. in time, this results inindentation and breakdown of the inner layer of padding in the regionwhere such tapping occurs.

In the present padding, the inner padding layer '24 is strengthened andre-enforced in the region 33 of the tapping by the use of some of thesame material of which the edge element 30 is m'ade, such as a 'Bunatype-synthetic rubber. The material is applied to the "padding layer 24in the region 33 thereof while such material is in a partially curedstate, and by the use of heat and pressure, the curing of the materialis not only completed but the material is caused to fiow into and becomefirmly bonded with the metal mesh of said padding layer. Thus, thematerial is effectively held in the region where the padding 1 requiresre-e'nforcement from the tapping 'efiectsof the pointer 32-.

At the upper end of the bucn 1119, a cuii holdingine'ans 35 is providedwhich need not be heredesc'ribed. As is well known, the sleeve of a mansshirt is providedjust below the cuff thereof with anuilti-layc'rplach'et which requires additional pressure if it is to bepressed and dried in the same time as other portions of *the sleeve Toprovide such additional pressure for such multilayer sleeve placket, theedge element '39 of the present padding can be forwardly extended at theupper endjportion of the element, as at 30a, Fig. 7, so as to underliesuch placket, as will be readily understood. in addition to providingthe extrapres'sure needed for such placket, the yieldability of thematerial of the extension of the edge element 3d will afiord protectionthe placket buttons with which some sleeves are provided.

To those skilled in the art to'which the present invention relates,further features and advantages of the pres ent improved padding will beevident from *the foregoing description of one embodiment of theinvention.

What I claim is:

1. Ina pressing machine a sleeve supporting buckhavingan elongated bodyincluding two transversely convex wallportions joined along two adjacentlongitudinal edges toiprovid'ea V-shapededgepo'rtion extendingsubstantially the full length of said body, padding for said body com-References Cited in the file of this patent pricsling I21. layer ofmated nliateriatl cornoletely gverlytilni UNITED STATES PATENTS sai wapor ions, an an e emen supenmpose on a part of said layer along andadjacent to said edge portion, 614491 McFarland 1898 said element beingV-shaped in transverse section to 6 858'550 July 1907 overlie andconform in contour to said edge portion, 1296o17 Smlth 1919 said elementbeing formed from rubber material and 1590371 Hazren June 1926 extendinglaterally towards but short of the opposite side 1839553 i h 1932 ofsaid body remote from said edge portion. wllhflms 1934 2. Asleeve-supporting buck as defined in claim 1 10 3 Schmldt 1935 whereinthe resilient material of the V-shaped element Cote July 1939 permeatesthe matted material of the padding and is Leef. "f 1939 permanentlybonded thereto 2,337,086 Davls 1943 2,521,374 Johnson Sept. 5, 1950 3. Asleeve-supporting buck as defined in claim 1 wherein the V-shapedelement is formed from synthetic 15 rubber.

